It’s imperative to stay focused at work if you wish to meet your deadlines and succeed in your career. However, such concentration isn’t always easy to achieve. Something always seems to sabotage even your best efforts. Someone calls a meeting, a client throws a monkey wrench in your plans for the day, or your child gets sick at school.
How can you sail past these normal interruptions and keep your focus?
Implement these strategies into your work routines:
1. Set priorities. Setting priorities is integral to planning your day. Schedule the most difficult tasks early in the day and the easier ones later. When prioritizing your day, make a list of your required tasks. This will keep you organized as you tackle each and every issue.
2. Limit distractions and interruptions. Keep your work area as free from distractions and interruptions as possible by maintaining quiet surroundings.
• Ask others to wait a moment until you’re finished with what needs to be completed before helping them with something they need done. Closing your office doors may be necessary so others realize that you’re working and not available for questions at the time.
3. Make work fun. You’re allowed to enjoy your work. In fact, those who love their work are more efficient. Find something that you like about your job. Use the fun aspect daily to give you a heightened ability to focus on your work.
4. Complete duties in the easiest way possible. For many tasks, there’s more than one way to achieve a satisfactory, or even exemplary, result. Pick the way that is easiest for you to get the desired result.
• Experiment with a variety of different ways to learn which ones work best for you.
5. Stand and stretch. If you have a job where you sit most of the day, take breaks to stretch and move around. You might also want to take a short walk outside. When you get back to your desk, you’ll feel refreshed and be better able to focus on your work.
6. Drink coffee or another beverage. Many people love to have their coffee during their workday. If this is something that you enjoy, go ahead and partake in a cup or two. As a stimulant, coffee might help you to stay focused on what you need to do. On the other hand, water is always a wonderful, refreshing choice.
7. Have your vision checked regularly. If you’re having challenges with concentrating or are developing regular headaches, this may be due to an issue with your vision. Have your eyes checked on a regular basis.
• When you’re working, glance away from your computer screen from time to time in order to take the strain off of your eyes and refresh your thought processes.
8. Keep a motivating picture nearby. Perhaps it motivates you to think of how your work helps you to take care of your family. In this case, a picture of your loved ones could be your motivating image. You might have a favorite affirmation, saying, or image of your main goal that motivates you to work harder, so a picture of this could remind you to stay on track.
Use these tips each day to enhance your ability to concentrate and achieve the goals that you have set for yourself.